An Unselfish Gift: A Canon Christmas Story
by PhoenixRising25
Summary: Winner of the Canon Christmas Contest. One-Shot. Bella celebrates Christmas in Phoenix with Renee and Phil as she wrestles with the decision to leave and live with Charlie. Little does she know that her decision effects more than her immediate family.


**A/N: Here is my entry for the "A Canon Christmas" contest over on Twilighted. It was one of the winners, and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Thank you to Cindy (Admittedly Obsessed) and Nicole for beta'ing this for me. It is very much appreciated. **

**I don't own anything Twilight. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. **

**An Unselfish Gift: A Canon Christmas Story by Phoenix Rising, aka PhoenixRising25**

**BELLA **

"Bel-la! Bella! Wake up!"

My mother's excited voice cut though the haze of sleep, and I started to wake up, slightly groggy. What time was it, anyway?

"Bella! It's Christmas morning. Don't you want to see what Santa brought?" Renee was busy opening my curtains, letting in the bright Phoenix day. Sleepily squinting at my alarm clock, I saw it was about seven in the morning. At least she'd let me sleep in this year. There had been Christmases when my mother woke me up at five, just because she couldn't wait to open presents.

I sat up slowly, yawning and stretching leisurely. This was the first Christmas I would be spending with Renee's new husband, Phil, and if everything went well with what I wanted to tell them, it may well be my last, at least for a while.

"Okay, Mom, I'm up." I smiled at my mother's child-like enthusiasm for the holiday. Slipping a little on the rug in front of my closet, I grabbed a light bathrobe and threw it on over my sleep shorts and tee shirt. Renee had the windows open and the house was comfortably cool; during the night, it got down into the fifties. I could already smell coffee and eggs; Phil must have started breakfast. He was a much more reliable cook than my mother was.

I padded into the kitchen, grabbing a Christmas mug with holly and ice skating penguins on it. Renee had been collecting them since before I could remember, buying a new one each year, or whenever she found one she liked. She never purchased a set, preferring to have a mismatched variety, which suited her personality perfectly. I briefly looked over the scenes on the other mugs, realizing I'd never seen real snow before, unless you counted television shows and movies.

Seeing a Tupperware container with hot cocoa packets in it, I picked one out and emptied it into my mug, the small poof of powder gently floating up like a mushroom cloud. Pouring myself some hot water, I took a candy cane to stir with and sat down at my seat at the table where a plate of scrambled eggs waited. I stealthily looked them over…nope, just eggs and cheese, nothing strange in them. I stifled a laugh when I realized that years of eating my mother's unusual creations in the kitchen had made me paranoid.

"Merry Christmas, Bella." Phil nodded as he came in from the front porch with the newspaper. He dropped it on the kitchen counter before pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee and sitting down, grabbing some toast for himself.

"Merry Christmas, Phil," I replied, sipping my still-too-hot drink. I winced a little as it scalded the roof of my mouth. "What time was Mom up this morning?"

"Five thirty," Phil chuckled. "She wanted to get you up then, but I told her to let you sleep. The gifts won't open themselves even if we wait too long, right?"

"Thanks," I told him, my mouth full of eggs, grateful for the extra hour and a half of rest. I hadn't been sleeping well, as I had been wrestling with my decision to leave Phoenix.

My mother, Renee Higginbotham Dwyer, had moved away from the tiny, rainy town of Forks, Washington, with me when I was about six months old. She left behind both the horribly rainy town and her now ex-husband and my father, Charlie Swan. The two of us spent about five years in California before moving to Phoenix, Arizona, when I was nearly six, and we hadn't moved since. I loved Phoenix…the blistering summer heat, the endless sunny days, the dry weather. I hadn't come to the decision lightly.

My mother wasn't what I would call a serial dater, but she had had her share of serious boyfriends over the years. She was a true romantic, and tended to think that every guy she dated was 'the one,' at least until the relationship ran its course. Then, about a year ago, my mother met and started dating Phil Dwyer, a minor league baseball player with more ambition than talent. He wasn't terrible, but he likely wouldn't make it in the major leagues. They saw each other when they could, but he traveled a lot with his team, which made being together difficult for Renee. That didn't stop either of them from falling hard for each other, and after a few months of dating, Phil proposed, and they had a small wedding. I had never seen my mother as happy as she was on her wedding day.

Things were pretty quiet for a while. I started my junior year of high school, and we moved into a larger home which afforded everyone a bit more privacy, although Phil was gone a lot playing away games. Renee would stay home with me, even though I was seventeen years old and more than capable of taking care of myself, but she insisted. It was nice to spend time with my scatter-brained mother again, just like old times, and I only missed taking care of her a little bit now that Phil had come along, though I still worried about her. He was a really nice guy, though a little young for her, but I knew he would make sure the bills were paid and Renee had someone to call if she forgot the grocery list or got lost. Even though I had fun with Renee while Phil was gone on these trips, I could see that it pained her to be away from him. My mother was a free spirit; she loved traveling and seeing different parts of the country, and being a substitute teacher, she wasn't tied to any specific job. She was always finding new things to do, new fads to follow, and I knew being a newlywed didn't help matters.

So, I came to the conclusion that it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie. Charlie was the Police Chief in Forks, and up until this point, I had pretty much only spent a month each summer with him. We were a lot alike; neither of us was big on expressing emotions or physical affection, and most of our conversations consisted of a few sentences each. Charlie was never quite sure what to do with me while I was there, and I had spent a lot of time on a boat, fishing with him and some of his friends from the Quileute reservation on La Push until I put my foot down. Boats and clumsy Bella didn't mix. These past few years, I couldn't even bring myself to spend that much time in Forks, so we compromised and spent two weeks vacationing in California instead. I wondered how I was going to survive living there all the time now, and not for the first time, I wondered if insanity ran in my family.

Still, I knew I was going to be doing the right thing. As much as Renee enjoyed spending time with me while Phil traveled, I knew it broke her heart to watch him leave and not be able to go with him. This would free her up to be able to pack her bags and travel. I tried to convince myself that Forks wouldn't be so bad; maybe it wasn't as terrible as I remembered it. It had been several years since I had been there, after all.

"Honey? Are you done with breakfast? I can't wait to open presents!" Renee was carrying a bagel in one hand and a Santa hat in the other, which she tossed to me. I looked up, startled out of my train of thought, and nearly missed catching it. The hat almost ended up in my hot chocolate, but I put it on enthusiastically. Mom and Phil were already wearing theirs, and when my mother knelt by my chair, Phil snapped a picture of the two of us together.

"I'm all set. Let's go," I responded, slowly rising from the chair and going into the family room. Phil had insisted we get a fake tree this year to decorate, as the real ones shed their needles and he didn't want to walk around getting them stuck in his socks all the time. It was a good thing he wasn't around the year Renee decided to uproot a four-foot cactus from the back yard and repot it, decorating it with lights and tinsel. Sixteen band-aids later, it still looked ridiculous, but that's what she'd wanted.

I sat down cross-legged on the carpet, picking up the first box. It was from Phil to my mother. I handed it over and tried not to wince as she unwrapped a box from Victoria's Secret carrying a tiny black bra and panty set. They were definitely newlyweds, there was no doubt about that. Yet another reason to move to Forks.

"Here, Bella. This one's from me," Phil said, handing me a small square package wrapped in green paper. It had a white ribbon that had been haphazardly tied around it. Christmas was one of the only times that I didn't mind getting gifts, but I definitely preferred to be on the "giving" end. I shook the present, pretending to guess what it could be. From the size and shape, it was definitely a CD. Tearing into it, I opened an album by Linkin Park.

"Thanks, Phil," I said. "This is great." Linkin Park was one of Phil's favorite bands, and although I didn't mind them, they had way too much bass in their music for my taste. Still, it was the thought that counted, and he had done a good job at finding a gift for me after knowing me for less than a year. Phil beamed as I put the disc next to my stocking, which was filled with chocolates and little odds and ends…pencils, clothes pins, lip gloss, and more book marks than I cared to count.

Phil's turn was next, and he opened a pair of red plaid boxers from Renee that had a green bow and a gift tag screen-printed on them. The tag read "Do Not Open Until Christmas." I stifled a groan. At least I could be sure that any gift Charlie mailed down would be gloriously underwear-free.

"Oh, Bella, this one's from Charlie. It came a week ago, but I wanted it to be a surprise." Renee pulled out one box from behind the tree and handed it to me.

The box was wrapped simply in red paper with a small gift tag that read "To: Bella, Love, Dad." Charlie was never one to really express his feelings, but somehow he was able to tell me how special I was to him in those four words. I ripped into the package, unwrapping a deep violet University of Washington hoodie; 'Washington Huskies' was printed down the left side. He knew my love of all things sweatshirt-related.

"Aww, thanks, Dad." I smiled, holding up the soft material to hide the tears in my eyes.

"You should call your father, Bella. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you," Renee reminded me, handing me the cordless phone.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, dialing quickly. I wanted to thank Charlie for his gift and ask him an important question…whether he would mind having a roommate.

"Hello?" I heard a gruff voice answer. I checked the clock; I had lucked out, and Charlie hadn't been working.

"Merry Christmas, Dad!" I smiled into the receiver and took the phone into my room, needing some privacy, though I knew it wouldn't be a long conversation. Charlie wasn't much of a talker.

"Merry Christmas, Bells!" Charlie exclaimed, his voice instantly brightening. "How was your morning? Was Santa good to you?"

"Dad, I'm a little old for Santa, but yes, everyone was very good to me. I wanted to thank you for the sweatshirt. That purple is one of my favorite colors."

"I'm glad you like it. Maybe when you're applying to college, you can look at U Dub. They have a great school, Bella, and I'd get to see more of you." Charlie sounded wistful, but he gave me the perfect opening.

"Actually, Dad, I wanted to talk to you about something. I don't get to see enough of you, so I was hoping I could move back to Forks for the rest of my junior year and my senior year." I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath, prepared to wait. The silence on the other line was deafening. I hadn't exactly made it a secret that I detested Forks, but this wasn't about me now.

"Dad? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Is everything okay down in Phoenix? Not that I wouldn't love to have you, Bells, but why the sudden urge to move?" The cop in Charlie was kicking in for an investigation, and I knew it would be much easier if I were truthful.

I sighed. "It's hard on Mom, Dad. Phil travels a lot, and I can see that she wants to go with him but feels she has to stay here with me. And I really miss you." I knew telling Charlie all of this would probably push him to the end of his emotional rope for one day, but I patiently waited to hear what he had to say.

"Well," Charlie started after a minute of quiet, "I don't see why not. When did you want to come?"

"Is the middle of January okay? That'll give me a couple of weeks to get my stuff ready to go."

"That should be fine. Have you said anything to your mother, yet?"

I made a face at Charlie's question…I hadn't really thought about when I was going to mention it, but sooner was probably better than later.

"No, I haven't. I can let them know today. How about after dinner? Then I can let you know what they say later tonight," I added, glancing at the door to my room.

"Okay. That sounds good. Keep me updated. I'll need to get you registered at the high school, and I imagine you'll need help finding something to drive around here," Charlie mused, sounding more excited than I'd ever heard him.

"Alright, Dad. I'll talk to you later. Merry Christmas!" I said softly, my voice catching a little at the end.

"Bye, Bells. Merry Christmas." Charlie's voice cracked a little too, and I instantly felt ashamed. I hadn't spent much time with him in recent years, but I was ready to make up for it now.

Later that afternoon, after we had cleaned up from opening presents, I started Christmas dinner: lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. Having to deal with Renee's erratic cooking, I was actually pretty good in the kitchen. Making dinner for the three of us was just as much a gift to Renee and Phil as it was selfish; I didn't want to eat 'turducken' or some weird concoction Renee came up with. Around five, dinner was ready, and the three of us sat down for our Christmas dinner. My mother had even lit little evergreen-scented candles on the table, which smelled odd when combined with the Italian food.

"This is so good, Bella. Where'd you learn to cook like this?" Phil teased as he helped himself to seconds, having eaten my lasagna many times before.

"Not from me, she didn't," Renee said with a grin, grabbing another piece of garlic bread. "She told me my cooking was too 'adventurous' once."

I rolled my eyes; when I'd told Renee that a couple of years ago, that was as polite as I could be while still telling her she was a terrible cook.

"So, how's Charlie?" Renee asked, spearing some salad with her fork. Phil didn't bat an eye; he had never met Charlie, but didn't dislike him, either. A knot formed in my stomach around what little dinner I'd eaten. Here goes nothing.

"He's good, and said to say 'hello' to everyone," I started, nervously pushing some lasagna around on my plate. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you two about something."

"What's that, Bella?" my mother asked, curious.

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for their reaction. "I would like to move back to Forks for the rest of my time in high school."

"What? Why would you want to go back there?" Renee frowned, looking crushed.

"Well, I'll be going off to college soon, and I probably won't get a chance to see much of Charlie, and I'd like to get to know him better. He's a great dad, and I want to give Forks a chance, too." Normally, I wasn't that great of a liar, but I couldn't really tell them straight out that I knew I was making my mother miserable and that this was the only way she could really enjoy being married to Phil. I knew they'd be happier this way.

Phil and my mother exchanged glances. "I guess it would be okay," Renee said slowly. "When did you want to go? We can drive you out over February break if you'd like," my mother suggested, looking placated. Maybe I was a better liar than I thought, though my stomach still churned.

"Um, I was thinking the middle of January? It's about halfway through the year now, so it'll be easy to get into the classwork." I peered up at them through my eyelashes, still moving food around on my plate.

"That's a little soon, honey. Are you sure?" Renee's wide brown eyes were kind, though I was certain I caught a light of relief and excitement behind them.

"Yes, I'm positive." I nodded stoically, needing to affirm my decision to them before I lost my nerve.

Renee and Phil looked at each other again. "Well, if it's okay with your father, it's okay with me. But the moment you want to come home, you can, okay? You don't even have to go at all if you don't want to," Renee declared.

Smiling wanly, I took my plate and emptied its contents into the garbage. "That sounds good, Mom. I'm gonna go call Charlie, okay?"

"Sure thing, baby. I hope he appreciates this time with you and isn't out on that boat all the time!" she called behind me as I raced up the stairs, grabbing the phone as I went.

**EDWARD**

My eighty-sixth Christmas as a vampire passed pretty much as the other eighty-five had. Esme had procured a beautiful fir that stood tall and decorated in the vast living room in our house in Forks; even I could admit that she, Alice, and Rose had outdone themselves with the silver and gold decorations. Humoring Esme, we had even pretended to sleep as she 'woke' us up to open presents. I knew better than any of them how she wished she could have done this at least once with William, her tiny son, and it didn't take long for me to convince the others that it was a good idea. Anything to make my mother happy.

Christmas for my family was always uninteresting in the respect that no one could surprise Alice or me, but I was always gracious for the gifts I did receive, and I enjoyed watching the others open theirs. When you have the means to buy whatever you want, when you want it, it forces one to get creative.

I sighed as I carried the box of personalized sheet music upstairs to my room. I hadn't composed much since we had arrived here, having lost the urge. I simply didn't feel inspired, yet Alice had given me an entire box full of monogrammed paper. When I was going to use all of that, I had no idea. We had been here in Forks for about two years so far, and there was nothing remarkable about this terminally boring little town. I didn't see my composing drought ending any time soon.

As early evening approached, I settled in, listening to a few of the new CDs Carlisle had given me. Suddenly, I heard a loud, elated shriek from downstairs. Racing to the stairway, I saw a grinning Alice run out of the room she shared with Jasper, nearly colliding with me. I guessed that she had had a vision, but she wouldn't allow me to view it, blocking me with inappropriate images of her husband.

"Alice, was that really necessary?" I asked, disgusted. "What's so important that you have to keep me out? Christmas is over; there are no more surprises."

Alice raised an eyebrow at me and grinned like the cat that got the canary. "Let me just say, Edward, that you have another surprise coming. It'll arrive around the middle of the month. Trust me, you'll thank me, later."

My sister turned on her heel and ran down to the living room, singing 'Jingle Bells' loudly in her head, heavy emphasis on the 'Bells.'

Shaking my head, I returned to my room. I would eventually find out what she meant…I always did.

**A/N: Now I want to go grab a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream and wrap presents! Please review if you liked it. Getting them is almost better than opening presents, turducken, or a tinsel-covered cactus :-) **


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